Monarchs Ring In the New Year At W&M

RADIO The Monarchs radio broadcasts are on ESPN 94.1 in Hampton Roads; WZEZ 100.5 in Richmond and WBRG 104.5 FM & 1050 AM in Lynchburg, Va. Play-by-Play announcer is Ted Alexander. Billy Mann will Serve as color analyst for all home games. Dave Twardzik will be a contributor to Monarch Courtside pre-game show at home games and color commentary for all road games.

SERIES VS. WILLIAM & MARY ODU leads, 66-18, but the Tribe defeated the Monarchs twice last season, 71-62 in Williamsburg and 74-62 at ODU. Prior to last year, ODU had won nine straight against W&M, including the 2010 CAA Championship game. The two schools have played three of the same opponents in Richmond, Howard and West Virginia. Marcus Thornton scored 23 and 32 points against ODU last year.

LAST GAME The Monarchs lost at Richmond Saturday night, 67-58. Aaron Bacote led with 20 points which included an 11-12 outing from the free throw line. Freshman Denzell Taylor add a career high 14 points along with 11 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. ODU outrebounded UR, 40-30 but shot .396 from the floor to the Spiders .418.

THIS DAY IN ODU HISTORY:Jan. 1, 1997 – Despite a school record of four Monarchs fouling out, ODU defeated Mississippi State, 72-71 in overtime in the 1997 San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico.

THE 2013-14 OPTIMA HEALTH CHALLENGE: Back for its third year, William and Mary and Old Dominion will partner with title sponsor, Optima Health, to once again compete against one another in the Optima Health Challenge.

The Optima Health Challenge will be a running score of all the direct competitions between the two schools, with a champion being named at the end of the athletic season and receiving the Optima Health Trophy. In total, the Tribe and Monarchs will compete in 10 different sports during the 2013-14 season.

The scoring system will award 10 points for the overall winner in every ODU-W&M athletic competition. The Tribe and Monarch baseball teams will meet twice in 2014, so each contest will be worth 5 points apiece. A total of 100 points will be awarded this year. The winning school will be the first to tally 55 points. ODU won the opening two years of the Optima Health Challenge, including a narrow 65-55 win last season.

Optima Health provides health plan coverage to more than 415,000 members throughout Virginia.Optima, based out of Virginia Beach, Va., offers a broad spectrum of innovative products and service solutions designed for employers, employees and their families.

Thus far, ODU currently leads the series, 20-10. The Monarchs defeated the Tribe in field hockey and women’s basketball and the Tribe won in men’s soccer.